Two horrifying words. Betsy Devos. The new face of education for America. The new face that we are supposed to trust besides Trump and Pence. The new face that is supposed to lead the future educators into successful careers in the near future. The new face that scares me to death. The new face that scares my family to death. Because this is the new face that will destroy my brother Harry.
Harry was born on July 17, 1995. He seemed like your typical adorable red-headed baby at first. But that was not the case. He didn’t make eye contact with anybody (including my mom and dad), he made noises to get your attention, he didn’t play with any kids his age (even if they shared the same interests as him), he was always staring at the blinding TV screen watching back-to-back episodes of Barney and Friends, and he didn’t notice or even care if you are hurt or uncomfortable. My parents did not know what was going on. So when Harry was around 2 years old, my parents took him to the doctor for his annual check up. This was the moment when all of their questions were finally answered. The doctor told my parents that Harry has autism. The definition according to Google of: “a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts.” That day has changed my parents lives forever. Their lifelong jobs are now to protect, nurture, teach right from wrong, accept, and love Harry for who he is. Trust me, they are wonderful parents.
Harry is lucky to be surrounded by a family who has unconditional love for him. Harry is lucky that he has true friends who include him. Harry is lucky to have a good education background. Harry is an amazing person who has changed my life. He has taught me so much, more than I’ve taught him in fact. Such as giving people a second chance if they’ve done you wrong in the past, to give people in life a chance to talk to you even if they’ve never talked to you before, to invite that kid who sits alone at lunch to sit with you, and most importantly to treat everybody with kindness even if they don’t do the same to you. He absolutely deserves all of this praise.
Two years later on November 11, 1997. I was born. From that day forward, my parents have been teaching me to protect, nurture, teach right from wrong, accept, and love Harry for who he is as well. I mean when I was little, I knew that Harry was different. Like when we went to the same elementary school, I would always see him guided by a para wherever he wandered. I would always see that same para tell my mom how Harry’s day went while I would just leave the classroom without any reports from a teacher. And I would always see my parents help Harry with his homework while they would only ask my occasionally if I needed help with my homework. But every time I asked questions about Harry I would never get a flat out answer. My mom would just tell me the exact same thing: “Harry just needs more help in school than other kids.” She would never tell me why. Until I was around 10 years old. My parents had an intimate conversation with me in the living room one day when Harry wasn’t home. That’s when they told me the truth. Even though I didn’t know what autism was at the time, all of my answers finally had an answer. This was the moment where I really knew that I have to step up. That I have to be a good role model for Harry. That I have to be someone else that he can look up to. That I have to be someone who will put himself before me. That I have to be someone who will stand up to those bullies when the bystanders won’t do it. I have been keeping those standards in mind even when I’m not around him. Harry is my ray of sunshine. How my family has raised me is the reason for why I am the good person that I am today. Being good and kind to someone, can take you many places in life.
But I also want to clarify one thing: do not feel sorry for him. Harry is a human being who just has more obstacles to overcome. He is outgoing, friendly, hilarious, kind, confident, happy, I could go on and on. Most people often forget that Harry wants what we all want. To live a good life. He wants to follow his dreams, eat his favorite foods, keep his old friends, make new friends, travel the world, find his Cinderella to his Prince Charming. This is something that Betsy DeVos will never understand. Because she is not a decent human being who has a heart.
I will not stand to let some mad woman take control of Harry’s or any other special needs person’s fate. She simply does not understand. She simply does not know what she is doing. She simply does not know what she is getting herself into. She needs to know that not every special needs person needs the same education as everybody else. Because some of them can’t learn around other typical kids. They need the help that they need somewhere else. Just because Harry can learn “the normal way” doesn’t mean that everyone else can. Life doesn’t work like that. Everybody with or without special needs has their own problems. S o in order to overcome them, they need all of the help that they can get. Whether they attend a public or private or boarding school, they need to be in a learning environment where they can thrive. Not a learning environment that is the cheapest or the same as everyone else’s is. This is why I will continue to stand up for what I believe in. I will continue to say something if I see something. I will continue to fight.
